Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs. Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 82 (2), 66-69. Retrieved on February 24, 2009 from ERIC database.
I have to admit, YouTube makes me nervous. I hear all the negative press around the media about MySpace and YouTube and I become apprehensive to use them or talk about them in my classroom. However, I am aware that this is where we are headed as a culture. I am also aware that the negative stories I heard are not the only experiences that exist when incorporating technology in the classroom or anywhere else. That is why I looked for this article. I guess it is my job as an educator of children who will be using these tools on an ultra-regular basis, to teach them how to be responsible and to use these tools for good and practical use. However, this article somewhat validated the negative consequences of using YouTube in the classroom. It can be hard to weed out the negative clips, and not to mention prohibit pop-ups. We use United Streaming in our district and I do find it easy and invaluable to pull up clips in order to help my students understand concepts. This article also suggests digital stories, which I think my students would find interesting. Despite my apprehension, I am exicited about incorporating more technology into my lessons.
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I agree that YouTube and similiar sites can be very scary, but I think that they are a great tool. Since there is such a negative undertone associated with these sites, I would be very interested in hearing a positive spin on using these sites for productive and educational purposes.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see that they can be used productively. Thanks for the comments!
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